Summoner’s Rift is the central League of Legends (LoL) map used in esports events and Ranked gameplay. To climb the ranks in competitive League of Legends, you’ll need to master the iconic 5v5 Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) map. Since the release of LoL, developer Riot Games has made dozens of gameplay changes to Summoner’s Rift, balancing the lanes and neutral enemies and adding, removing, or changing content.
In this guide, we’ll discuss how you can dominate the competition in the latest version of Summoner’s Rift from the world of Runeterra. We’ll also explain how the different lanes play out during a match and detail all the essential objectives in a typical LoL match for both the blue side and the red side.
How To Dominate Summoner’s Rift
Summoner’s Rift is a strategically complex map with three main lanes of battle, neutral enemies, and various team structures, from Inhibitors to Towers. To win a match, you’ll need to destroy the enemy Nexus. Ideally, your team must establish lane dominance in at least two lanes to crush the competition.
Top Lane
There are three critical aspects top lane players need to know in Summoner’s Rift: map awareness, teleporting for a push in another lane, and thriving in isolation. The top lane is an intense and consistent 1v2 battle, where the singular player needs to compete against the enemy Support and Attack Damage Carry (ADC).
The goal is survival and getting as much out of the lane as possible. Playing in the top lane means taking a defensive stance while waiting for opportunities to put a damper on the enemy ADC’s farming. And perhaps most importantly, you need to keep an eye on the Rift Herald and Baron Nashor’s objectives. Self-sufficient champions such as Yone, Dr. Mundo, Malphite, and Garen can do well in the top lane, chipping away at the enemy ADC and support.
Mid Lane
From your first matches in Summoner’s Rift to high-ranked slugfests, players call out, “Me mid!” as champions are picked. The player in the middle lane is the team’s anchor, and the position comes with glory and a responsibility to their teammates. The GOAT of League of Legends, Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok, is a mid-lane player, and everyone wants to be just a fraction as good as the Korean superstar.
Thanks to the middle lane’s position, the mid role needs to be quick on their feet. They also need excellent map awareness and fast response times, ready to rotate immediately for ganks or to secure specific teamfight objectives. The most successful middle players adapt a diverse gameplay strategy to deliver final blows on enemy minions, push back the opposing mid-player, and maintain pressure on the enemy top and bottom lanes.
Some of the best champions to use in the mid-lane on Summoner’s Rift include Ahri, Neeko, and Anni. The middle lane is often the home of the “highest-skilled” player on the team because recovering after falling behind in this role is excruciatingly difficult.
Bottom Lane
As the only lane consistently featuring two players, the bottom lane is also known as the “safe lane.” Here, your team’s ADC player farms gold and experience to become as powerful as possible, with the support player lending a hand. The goal of the ADC in the bottom lane is to keep farming and stay safe from enemy attacks. Last hitting for a high Creep Score (CS) is essential with champions in the ADC role, such as Varus, Jinx, Tristana, and Ezreal.
The Support player must protect the ADC at all costs and provide wards in the river and tri-bush to have an early warning system for any incoming attacks, especially from the enemy jungler. Support must also watch the upcoming Dragon spawn by clearing Fog of War with wards and poking at the enemy top-laner to keep them in check.
Jungle
Against popular belief of many League of Legends beginners, the jungle isn’t an “AFK farming” position. It is, in fact, the most dynamic and busy role in Summoner’s Rift. The jungler must always consider the team’s needs while farming gold and experience from neutral enemies. This enables the jungle player to assist when requested and move to gank the enemy top-laner. Map awareness is essential, spotting enemy champions as they move on objectives and disrupt their ADC’s farming.
Another vital role for the jungle player is to kill powerful monsters such as Rift Herald, Dragons, and Baron Nashor. These giant neutral enemies provide critical buffs. Knowing when to slay them and strategically utilize buffs can make or break your team’s chances of winning. Popular champions for the jungle include Lee Sin, Master Yi, Viego, Nocturne, and Kha’Zix.
League Of Legends Summoner’s Rift Objectives
There are several objectives for League of Legends teams to take down in Summoner’s Rift. They’re divided broadly into two categories: buildings and neutral enemies (creeps). Let’s discuss these objectives and their rewards!
Buildings in Summoner’s Rift
To win a League of Legends game on Summoner’s Rift, you must destroy the enemy Nexus. Before destroying the Nexus, however, there are two main building types you’ll need to take down, gaining buffs or rewards along the way.
- Turrets: There are 22 total turrets on Summoner’s Rift. Each team has 11 turrets defending their lanes and Nexus. Destroying an enemy turret grants your entire team some Gold and more map control to move around freely.
- Inhibitors: To damage the enemy Nexus, you must destroy at least one Inhibitor. These buildings are located inside the enemy base area. Once destroyed, your team gains powerful minion spawns for some time, potentially allowing you to snatch victory with a solid five-man push.
Neutral Enemies in Summoner’s Rift
Various neutral enemies inhabit Summoner’s Rift; some are the most critical objectives for teams to complete. Killing these enemies provides powerful buffs to your team. You’ll find the essential neutral enemies and the buffs they give once slain below.
- Baron Nashor: Grants empowered recall and stronger minions. It also increases attack damage and ability power—a powerful team-wide buff to close out a match in Summoner’s Rift.
- Rift Herald: Drops the Eye of the Herald item to knock down enemy structures easily.
- Elemental Dragons: Random buff with permanent stats increases based on its element, including Ocean, Mountain, Chemtech, Cloud, Hextech, and Infernal.
- Elder Dragon: Grants Aspect of the Dragon buff for 150 seconds. This powerful buff executes enemies under 20% health using Elder Immolation.
- Blue Sentinel: Crest of Insight (blue buff), granting increased mana regeneration and ability haste.
Lesser neutral enemies considered side objectives include Gromps, Murk Wolves, Raptors, Krugs, Rift Scuttler, and Red Brambleback. Using Summoner spells like Smite can help teams take down important neutral enemies.
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